I think it's going pretty well. Probably a lot of excessive expectations from the fans rather than the team. That's why "we" often react harshly when the team didn't do great in the tests. Why it did so few laps. When you sit and watch tests all day, see why the car is taking so long to get on the track, then look for news on the team's official Twitter and there's silence there too, then look for news about it here on the forum, it's a bit worrying. Personally, it's even a bit stressful for me. After all, we always hope that the new season will start much better than the previous one.taperoo2k wrote: ↑27 Feb 2024, 17:22Funny would be Lando and Oscar locking out the front row. Not that I expect that to happen of course.
I just think people have gotten a bit carried away with testing. Of course if say the RB20 isn't as good as the RB19 you'd see the media going into "What went wrong" frenzy.
I think McLaren went about their testing programme quietly and haven't shown the true pace of the
car yet. There is a lot of expectation management going on with McLaren, and I can't say that I blame them.
I have to admit, I myself am prepared for any eventuality and even for the 4th strongest car at the start of the season. But I feel that the team will appear on the podium very often this year and maybe McLaren will be the fastest among Mercedes engines.
Mercedes and Ferrari said their new car is a very big step up from last year. Maybe it really is. That's why their managers and drivers look more confident in the media. And McLaren are more reserved, as if something has gone wrong. Although I haven't yet seen what could have gone wrong there. The stability of the rear end is better, the exit from the corners is more predictable.
I like to watch and follow the tests because really nobody knows exactly who will be where on the starting grid. If the team solves most of last year's problems, it's already a big step forward. Lando himself said that the car has improved in all areas, maybe a little bit, but still. The direction is set right. We just have to wait for the technical updates and hope that the team will make a big step again.